Pope Francis walks towards a statue that was rescued from a church destroyed by ISIS in the village of Karemlash while conducting a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium on March 07, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq.

Chris McGrath
Pope Francis walks towards a statue that was rescued from a church destroyed by ISIS in the village of Karemlash while conducting a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium on March 07, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq.

A NOTE FROM OUR PUBLISHER: Pope Francis’ visit has provided the small minority of Catholics who remain in Iraq and the many who are in diaspora hope for the future, but the fight to protect religious freedom continues.